Student employees in UC Merced’s dining centers got an up-close look at the sustainable techniques at a family almond farm and were challenged to create locally sourced dishes as part of a workshop inspired by an internationally famous chef. The workshop was presented by the Alice Waters Institute for Edible Education in collaboration with UC Merced Executive Chefs Anthony Pangelina and Mitchell Vanagten.
The institute is an academic offshoot of the Edible Schoolyard Project that Waters, founder and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, created in 1995. The institute was launched in 2020. Waters is often credited with popularizing the farm-to-table movement, which promotes the advantages of sustainable, organic agriculture and connecting people with the sources of their food.
On a warm day in September, Dining Services student employees visited Burroughs Family Farms in Denair. The participants were kitchen student managers, responsible for food preparation, inventory and inspections in the Pavilion and Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center. They learned about the advantages of regenerative farming and cooking with local, seasonal ingredients.
